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I saw a magnesium suspension fork at my LBS, I don't know if it will work but I'm thinking about it.
Next time I'm in there, I'll check it closer.

Log story short, unless it's a tapered or oversized (1.25") steerer, you can make it fit. The hardest possibility would be if the steerer is too short, but you could theoretically lengthen it by welding in a new steerer... plenty of threads on RRB about that process. Next biggest hurdle would be 1" threadless, but we can beat that too, if we have to...either by threading the steerer and reaming the ID of the steerer to 7/8", or by frankensteining a 1" threadless set-up.... easiest way would be to turn down a 1.125"-to-1" reducer to fit the Worksman headtube and then installing a standard 1" threadless.... which would suck, but it's possible. If it's 1" threaded or 1.125" threadless, it's gonna be easy as can be... Definitely worth investigating if the fork is in decent shape and looks like what you're going for. Personally, i have a strong rigid bias, but i think suspension forks make sense on geared bikes. Too much bounce on a singlespeed, though, in my opinion....
 
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I'm not a fan of suspension forks, but I liked the ones I saw. I don't think it's tapered,and the steer tube would have to be cut down. It's threadless, so I'd have to weld in a star nut.

But, to be honest I really want a rigid fork. I just don't like how alot of modern forks have the slight forward curve to them, one of the reasons I haven't started this build yet.
 
The Surly Instigator fork may have more of the look you are going for with straight blades as opposed to curved. The curved forks will give a more compliant feel where the straight bladed ones will be more rigid.

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Thanks for the nod (shameless plugs always welcome ;) ). If I recall that measurement on the headset cup was 33.5mm- right in between the normal BMX/balloon tire threaded sizing at 32.8 and the 1 1/8" sizing at 34mm. Just note that some forks have the bearing cone machined onto the steerer now-a-days, and FSA headsets won't work. They have a proprietary 36* cone to allow for their bigger bearings.

If you keep your eyes out, I stumbled into this fork a couple years back, I was told it was off a Kona K2, but I've never been able to track down another to confirm. Prolly be pretty easy to add a brake tab to a BMX style fork fork using this as a model- back cut the leg and cap it, add tab :)


IMG_20170207_222615.jpg

IMG_20170207_222533.jpg
 
The thing that gets me is, there's a local guy that rides 26" BMX. He has two bikes with forks that I want, obviously he's not selling. And my LBS can no longer get them.

There is a threaded fork on the bay that I think would work, would just have to weld a brake tab to it and hope it will hold a 2.5" tire.
 
I imagine you are thinking of the Sunlite BMX styled mtb fork?

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Definitely looks the part, but would have to weld on brake tabs for either disc or canti style brakes, and those dropouts arent the strongest, not to mention its more than likely made fron hi-tensile steel, not 4130 chro-moly. It may work, but not sure for how long. Another thing I noticed on this fork i it has a 91mm O.L.D., may be difficult to properly space a disc hub to fit without running into disc/fork leg contact issues. Found them on Niagra cycle, but are available through J&B at your LBS:

http://www.niagaracycle.com/categor...threaded-length-3-15-16-1-od-chrome-non-canti
 
I used a fork from an 80s Huffy mountain bike someone gave me. I raced it on my 1940s Columbia Klunker and had no problems. I passed many people ahead of me with full suspension bikes on the rocky downhills. I just went for it and the bike kinda floated and skipped over everything. It was a wide track for our 50K cross country ski marathon so I didn't have to worry about bouncing into the woods, but I did end up going part way up a sand bank on a corner. I couldn't even see well because I was bouncing so much. The point is that this fork has given me years of service and it was free. I still worry a little about it but now a days it is retired from racing and I just ride single track with it. I has been on several different klunkers and is currently on my 1940 DX. I welded on tabs for the drum brake arm. Easy to weld as it is probably made out of mild steel?
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I found a 24" dirtjumper fork with disc mount that would work great for a 26". However, it is currently out of stock, and was $149 when it was in stock :headbang:

Black Market Tech 9, 395mm a-c

Jason

Thanks for the hookup on Blkmarket. Hadn't stumbled into them yet, been looking for a tapered leg fork to use as a base to make threadless King Sting tribute forks, but of course things like Surley's all put the axle under the leg so there's so much offset in built in at the crown that buy the time I add Schwinn BMX drops to the front I'd be out there over 60mm. I've got a pair of those Wulers that the shop in LA was blowing out a few years back as "bomb proof". Cool tapered legs, full cromo, but holy moley they're heavy.
 
There are a ton of hi-ten forks out there...and hi-ten can be strong. It just can't be strong AND light. There are a ton of 26" schwinn, wald, boss, tange, ishiwata, etc hi-ten forks on the bay for reasonable price. Just be careful of the tange, ishiwata, akisu etc that claim chromoly, or are just priced as such...the tanges are stamped on the steerer 'HT' or 'CRMO'...but most the rest just have a model number or nothing, and most, especially for 26", will be hi-ten.

Jason
 
Thanks for the hookup on Blkmarket.
No problem :thumbsup:

There was a set on a Canadian classified for almost a reasonable price...but, anything shipped from Canada is spendy and slow to arrive. So much for NAFTA :bigsmile:.

They come stock on the Black Market Contraband if you are searching for them.

Jason
 
Some thoughts

-Starnut-- you can press-fit a starnut in; you don't need to weld it. They don't see a lot of stress; they're supposed to be used to set the headset bearings' preload; once you tighten the stem down, the starnut won't see much action.

-Surly Instigator: Great fork. And, yes, with an ATC if 447mm, it will be roughly 2" taller than a non-corrected 26" fork. But, these days, all of the Surly mtb forks are straight-blade. Older 1x1 forks were available in both straight and curved versions. All of the disc 1x1 forks, afaik, were straight-blades.

-headset specs--- @chattymatty has an awesome memory; i tracked down the PMs we were sending back and forth when I got my headset from him, and this is what I'd determined with a micrometer back then.... "OK, the measurements are in: the OD of the cups is 1.315", or 33.401mm if you're a metric guy. Thanks again, Matt!" So, there's that.

-The Sunlite/pyramid 26" bmx cruiser forks are an option, but they're pretty danged weak. I wouldn't even truly klunk one, let alone try to add a disc tab and run discs on one. They're just not up to the task; RRB member @rev106 mentioned that they have something like a 50% failure rate in the CBC races. They make good replacement forks for JRA cruising, but not anything rough... fwiw, niagaracycle lists them as 91mm OLD, but i think that's the old spec. I got a few of those forks and the current ones are 100mm OLD.

-blkmrkt is just S&M Bikes' dirtjump division, pretty much. They aren't making
anything in a 395mm ATC, but there are plenty of options available from S&M, and the forks are pretty much identical. http://www.sandmbikes.com/products/hardgoods/forks/ I got a custom-built 26" S&M fork for my GBP Article 1; super-rad fork.


HTH
-Rob
 

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